Going home pictures

Our new family

 

Even the patient transportation people were excited to escort a set of triplets out of the hospital

 

We love our minivan!

 

 

We're All Home!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting, but we've been a bit busy the past few days. I'm sure you understand!

The wonderful news is that we ALL were discharged from the hospital at the same time on Sunday afternoon! The babies were perfectly healthy, and the doctors said they didn't need to stay. So we only stayed as long as the typical mom and baby after a c-section - 72 hours. I am still amazed at how well we all did and am so thankful that I was able to make it to 35 weeks.

Here's a quick recap of the delivery and hospital stay:

On Wednesday evening, we were told that we might have to delay the delivery by one day because the NICU was full and they wanted to be able to guarantee that 3 beds would be available. Talk about disappointing!! We called at 6am Thursday and were told they still weren't sure if we could deliver that day. argh. We got up and got ready to go anyway - who could go back to sleep at that point?? Finally at 7:30am they called us and said that we could come in. We were there by 8am!

After they got me all prepped and gave Jason his cute scrubs to wear, I walked to the OR (side note - on an episode of A Baby Story, a triplet mom gave birth at 35 weeks and walked to the OR and I thought there was no way I'd be able to do that. I'm so proud!) There was a total of 30 people in the delivery room that day - a team for each baby, plus surgical and anesthesiology teams for me. I'll spare you the details of the c-section, except to say that it is very bizarre to be awake while being operated on. I'm glad I couldn't feel anything, of course, but it's weird to be paralyzed and know that you are being cut open! The most important thing to say about the delivery is that it was the most wonderful thing in the world to hear their first cries! All of them were healthy, vigorous cries, and they all earned high APGAR scores. Jason got a little teary, but I had already done all my crying earlier that morning so I was just smiling.

After delivery, Jason was eventually able to go see each baby at the warmer. The OR was so crowded that Abigail had to be moved to an adjacent OR. Lucas had a little bit of breathing trouble at first - his breathing was too labored. However, he didn't need any special interventions and was able to go straight to the newborn nursery with his sisters. Zoey was the only baby I could see from my limited vantage point. Eventually the nurses brought Abigail and Zoey over for me to see and kiss. They were so tiny and cute!

The surgery started just before 10, the babies were born at 10:05, 10:06, and 10:07, and I was back in recovery by 11. I spent about an hour in recovery, and at some point Jason went to visit the babies in the nursery while I called my parents.

I was eventually wheeled to my room, and the babies were brought for us to see not long after. They roomed with us the entire time, except when they had to leave for exams, and when we sent them to the nursery so we could get some sleep. We did almost all their feedings ourselves - it was great to have the practice while we could call for help anytime. My parents came to visit for a few hours each day, which was great.

The most annoying thing about the hospital stay was all the interruptions from doctors and nurses and everyone else in the hospital. We were sort of popular there, given the rarity of newborn triplets being in the regular nursery. All the residents and other trainees were so excited to be able to get to see such a unique little family. So we were really happy when we got to go home to our peaceful little house!

I will post pictures of our going home parade in a separate post - we got a new camera and are having trouble figuring out how to upload pictures efficiently.

Thanks so much for your phone calls and emails - we will return them when we can!!

More Pics!

Finally got a close up of Lucas (yellow hat), and one of him cuddling with his lil' sis (Zoey in striped hat). Plus, Abby (pink hat) with her proud poppa and a few group shots!

Arrival of the Downer Trio

I'll keep this short and sweet. Both because I'm exhausted, and I know what everyone is really waiting for - photos! Babies born at 10am 3/25/10. Mom and babies doing great. No NICU time at all.

Abigail Lucia – 5 lbs., 3 oz.

Lucas Steele – 4 lbs., 12 oz.

Zoey Stella – 3 lbs., 15 oz.

35 week belly!

I can't believe this is my last belly picture. I got "dressed up" for this one and am wearing one of the maternity dresses I bought last fall. Just for fun, go back to the 2nd trimester pictures post and compare it to my Halloween picture, when I was wearing the same dress. It's a huge difference!

 

34w6d doctor appt

It's hard to believe this was our last NST and last appt with the MFM! The NST went well, although I was pretty uncomfortable on the small table today. It seems to get smaller every week. Jason was with me, and we really tried to savor this last chance to hear their heartbeats for an extended period of time. so bittersweet. The babies passed their test after about 40 minutes, with lots of movement and hiccuping throughout.

Then we had a nice long talk with the doctors about what to expect with the c-section, risks and benefits of doing the delivery this week vs. next week, etc. I'm nervous about the surgery but I know I'm in good hands. All my vital stats are still holding steady, which is good. I also got the first of 2 steroid shots to help the babies' lungs. I'll have the second one tomorrow morning (they have to be 24 hours apart). We're also hoping to be able to talk with a neonatologist tomorrow to get an idea of what to expect about the babies' stay in the hospital. If there's not one available, we'll certainly get to talk with one on Thursday. We're hoping to be able to bring at least one of them straight home, but we need to be realistic about possible NICU time, esp. if any of them are less than 5 pounds.

I was so sore and achy by the time I got home from the appointment - it was hard to get comfortable for my nap, and I have taken my share of Tylenol today. I can't wait till I'm allowed to take stronger painkillers!

We don't know the time of the c-section yet - they will call us Wednesday evening and let us know when to arrive on Thursday. Since we don't have fancy smart phones with internet access, we will probably wait till later in the day to fire up our laptop and send out emails about their arrival. Then we'll update the blog with pictures when we can. Stay tuned!

Latest belly pics

Here's a front view of me around 33 weeks, and a side view of me around 34 weeks. We'll take one more pic this week, and then after that it's all baby pics!

 

 

More household prep

I think we've finally got everything put together and installed! Here are pictures of our car seats, our former dining room turned baby swing/bouncer room, our rearranged living room and kitchen, and the cribs with the mobile and soothers attached. Those of you who know what our house used to look like will be able to tell all the changes we've made!

 

 

 

 

 

p.s. the aluminum foil you see on everything is an attempt to keep the cat out of places where he doesn't belong. So far it's working, but we'll have to see what happens when we remove the foil and replace it with babies!

Let's talk about infection control

Ok, I know everyone who is going to visit has common sense and knows all about handwashing, etc. But forgive me for being a nervous overprotective parent already, and humor me here...I've got a list of guidelines for visitors in order to keep our babies healthy. We'll update it as we get more specific info from the doctors after the babies arrive. Just keep in mind that even though it's awesome we've made it to 35 weeks, the babies will still be premature and therefore more vulnerable. Thankfully we're heading toward the end of flu and RSV season.

1. Visitors will be limited to immediate family only at first. We'll open up to extended family and local friends when the docs say it's safe to do so. If you sign up to bring us food or walk the dog (which we greatly appreciate!) you may have to look at but not touch the babies.

2. Of course anyone who comes in the house must be healthy, and must not have been around anyone else who has been sick recently. Hand sanitizer and hand washing will be required before touching the babies.

3. shoot. I forgot the others. I will add more as my memory permits and as we get guidelines from the docs.

Thoughts about bedrest

Someone shared this article with me, and I thought it really captured a lot of my feelings and experiences while on bedrest. I'm approaching week 9 of bedrest, and I can honestly say it hasn't been horrible. Yes, I've had my meltdowns where all I want to do is cook my own food, clean my own house, and organize the nursery the way I want it. But, whenever I'm tempted to do too much, my body reminds me that I need to take it easy. I've rarely been bored, and I think my stress levels have benefited from a break from work. As I've said many times before, Jason has been great about taking care of me, and we've gotten lots of wonderful support from local friends and long-distance family. I'm looking forward to gaining more freedom soon, although it will certainly be a different kind of "freedom" than I've had before!

Here's the article:
http://www.sidelines.org/articles/bed-rests-silver-lining-fifteen-benefits-of-taking-pregnancy-lying-down/

BED REST S SILVER LINING:
15 BENEFITS OF TAKING PREGNANCY LYING DOWN

By Laurie Krauth

How often do the one in five pregnant women assigned to bed rest get to brag about the experience? Yet here we lie, accumulating perks unknown to our mobile counterparts. So here s a reminder to horizontal pregnant women, and a lesson to our vertical sisters, about just 15 of the benefits I ve accrued in taking pregnancy lying down.

1. My husband has learned to cook. And not just in the microwave.

2. He can run the house. (He no longer puts the first load of wash in the machine and leaves it to mold. He regularly fills--and empties--the dishwasher, notices when we re out of milk, creates a shopping list, hits more than one store to get the goods, buys in bulk and looks out for sales.)

3. I am amassing a quantity of sleep-time that I won t see again until my baby is 2.

4. I am tearing through novels, mastering (in theory) the football hold for breastfeeding and gossiping with friends with a laziness that my baby won t permit again until preschool.

5. I m losing my type A-ness&is it possible? Before this bed rest thing, I couldn t talk on the phone or have a friend over without also cooking or filing papers.

6. My old definition of a top-flight evening--one spent eviscerating eight items on my to-do list has been replaced by one spent watching two videos with my husband.

7. I can stare aimlessly into space (without mentally adding tasks to said to-do list).

8. My athletic virtuosity no longer depends upon at least one sweaty set of tennis, three jogs and a night of swing dancing a week. Tackling the stairs now makes me proud..

9. Lying on the couch in the living room (aka Bed Rest Central), I savor sightings of cardinals and chubby snowflakes. Gone is the muttering about barren, skinny trees and steel gray sky. This is a cornucopia of earthly delights compared with the medical building that stared back at me from the hospital bed I occupied the other week (and could occupy again any time).

10. I relish my baby s increasingly zealous kick-boxing because I know he s well and happy, and that matters more than anything.

11. Forget any worries that my new husband loves me conditionally for the sex, or how I take care of business around the house, for my fanatical energy, or for my lithe body. These are a distant memory and still he treats me like his bride.

12. No doubts left about how he ll handle Real Life with me. As our honeymoon giddiness has been replaced by his holding me from 3 to 5 a.m. while I await crisis-level bleeding, as well as preparing my meals and cleaning up after me, we ve cruised seamlessly through a decade s worth of marital developmental stages in less than a year.

13. Improbably, he still makes me feel like a honeymooner, despite my girth, exhaustion and periodic fear. Curling up together on Bed Rest Central beats a night at a Parisian café with a new lover. I feel this exquisite bittersweet appreciation of each moment we spend together that s intensified by the knowledge that a hospital bed may beckon at any moment.

14. I am finally ready to have my baby. All this lying around finally put a stop to my obsessive worries about handling the transition to motherhood, leaving in its wake the searing desire to get on with toughening up my nipples and changing diapers for the kick-boxer I m carrying.

15. I m actually looking forward to being liberated by childbirth. While my fellow expectant mothers anticipate losing mobility and independence, I can t wait to be off bed rest and carry my baby and his hundreds of accoutrements through the house and out into the world. I ll be free!

Laurie Krauth is a psychotherapist and writer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, whose complete placenta previa required that the last month of pregnancy be spent at Bed Rest Central. She has a healthy, delicious seven-month-old boy.

1 week from today!!!

Omigosh, I just got a call from my MFM (high risk OB) that the team of MFMs met yesterday about when to deliver me. They agreed that they would be comfortable with me getting to 35 completed weeks, which is next Wednesday. So I have a c-section scheduled for next Thursday, 3/25!!!!!!!!! And it is scheduled with my favorite MFM, which makes me extra excited and more comfortable.

I will get one more round of steroid shots early next week to help the babies' lungs, and I will still have NSTs this Friday and next Tuesday. If the babies show any signs of distress on the NSTs, or if I show any signs of labor, they might be delivered earlier. But I feel pretty confident that we'll make it to the scheduled date. The babies seem awfully comfortable in there.

Jason and I are both scared and excited by this news. It's one thing to fantasize about 3 babies, but it's another thing to have them here in reality! I know I'll miss having them move inside me, and I'll miss getting to have them all to myself. I'll have to get used to the idea of sharing them with other people. And the idea of having actual babies after waiting for them for so long is just unimaginable sometimes.

We will be sure to update with pictures when we have them! Until then, only one more week for taking pictures of my big belly!

33w6d doctor appointment

Well folks, everybody is still holding steady! The NST took longer than usual today because Baby C was sleepy at first and not performing up to par. However, with a little extra time she passed the test along with A and B. No changes in my status, no signs of labor, etc. My biggest complaint now is that I've developed an itchy rash on my belly called PUPPS (if you google pictures of this, don't be scared - mine doesn't look nearly as bad as the pictures on online). I've got a prescription for a steroid cream that will hopefully help.

So...I finally got the doctor to start talking about scheduling a c-section. He wants to plan for it around the end of 35 weeks/beginning of 36 weeks, which is 2 weeks from now. Not sure I can make it that far - the babies show no signs of wanting to come out, but I sure would like to be comfortable again! Then again, 2 weeks ago I thought I'd never make it to 34 weeks, and here I am. Guess I'll just take it day by day. I will be happy just to have something on the calendar, and then if the babies decide to come before then that will be super. We'll keep you posted!

Oh - and if I'm slow in responding to emails or phone calls, please don't be offended. It's harder for me to type consistently because of my carpal tunnel syndrome, and even phone calls take a lot of stamina these days. I love hearing from you, I just may not be able to get back to you right away. Thanks as always for everyone's support!

NST 3/12/10

 
 
 

We finally remembered to take pictures during today's NST. There is a heart rate monitor for each baby, plus a contraction monitor for me. There's hardly room on my belly for all the straps! I have to lay on the table like that for at least 30 minutes - it gets pretty uncomfortable, even when I have lots of pillows propped under me. But it's all worth it to be able to hear those amazing heartbeats!!

Visitors

This post is to thank all the recent local and long-distance friends and relatives who have visited and helped us out while I'm on bedrest.

First, thanks to Jason's dad Steele, who visited us in December. He did a million household projects and was pretty much an unstoppable ball of energy. We had to keep thinking of things for his to-do list because he would finish tasks so quickly! It was great to have his help, since it would have been hard for Jason to do many of the projects on his own.

Then, my parents have been back and forth a few times - here at Christmas, and then my mom was here the first week in February to relieve Jason of some of his Lisa-care duties. And now she is up here long-term to help with the final days of bedrest and with the babies once they arrive. Thank goodness!

Jason's mom's partner Peg was just here for a week to help out. It's been hard for Jason to balance work, Lisa care, animal care, and household stuff, so he was relieved to have a helper. Peg helped to keep me fed and put together some of our baby stuff (swings, mobile, etc). She also got to take me to a doctor's appointment.

And I can't forget our local friends and coworkers who spent much of February and early March bringing me lunch and bringing us dinner. It really saved Jason a lot of work in the kitchen and helped to keep me company while I've been home alone. Casey the dog also appreciated the extra walks. :)

We are slowing down on the local visitors though. I am more and more uncomfortable, which makes it hard for me to socialize. Plus my mom is here now and is "on call" every day in case I need to get to the hospital quickly. So we don't need any more daytime lunch help, but we still welcome the occasional dinners. :)

So thanks everyone for all of your help thus far, and we will keep you posted about the schedule for help once the babies arrive!

Forgot a few things...

I forgot a few tidbits of information in yesterday's post. So here are some more exciting details:

Baby B is now breech - somehow in the last 4 weeks he managed to do a somersault. I have no idea how - there can't be much room in there. Babies A and C are still vertex (head down). This means that each baby gets to kick another baby in the head! A can kick C's head, C can kick B's head, and B can kick A's head. Based on some of the crazy movements I feel I think they are spending a fair amount of time torturing each other.

Ok, this is really annoying. I had a mental list of 3 things I was going to share, and now I can't remember the others. I will update this post when my memory returns!

...two hours later, and I've remembered...

one funny part of the baby weight gain goal was to exceed the weight of Jason's mom's Yorkie. Little Bailey weighs 4 pounds, 2 ounces, so we have officially met our goal! It's definitely a good indicator of a chubby baby when it weighs more than a little dog. :) The next growth goal for them will be once they're born - when they weigh more than my 12 pound cat we'll know that they're growing well!

And the other thing about my appointment yesterday. My uterus is now measuring 46cm top to bottom (fundal height). So ladies pregnant with just one baby, don't complain to me until you are 46 weeks pregnant with a 13 pound baby!

Stay tuned for a new belly picture later today...

32w6d growth scan - 13 pounds of baby!

We had what was probably our last growth scan today, since they only do them every 4 weeks. I told them that if the babies were still inside at 36w6d then they'd better take me straight to the OR and skip the ultrasound! It's getting harder to tell what parts are what on the ultrasound since the babies are so big and smushed, so we didn't get any pictures today.

Here are the stats:
Baby A (girl): 4lbs 11oz 50th percentile (compared with singletons)
Baby B (boy): 4lbs 3oz 38th percentile
Baby C (girl): 4lbs 3oz 37th percentile

So that is 13 pounds of baby! They each gained about 1.5 pounds in the last month. There is a margin of error of +/- half a pound, but I prefer to think of them as being on the fatter side. No wonder I suddenly got a lot more uncomfortable recently!

They also included what's called a BioPhysical Profile (BPP) while doing the ultrasound. They look for specific markers of the babies' development, including their movement and muscle tone, the amount of amniotic fluid, and whether they are practicing respiration. Apparently it's important for them to start practicing their "breathing" skills while in utero. They all passed the BPP (scored 8 out of 8), but Baby A was very sleepy and barely passed the practice breathing criterion. All their heart rates were good too.

Ooh - the other cool thing about today's ultrasound was that we saw that Baby A has hair! I wonder what color it will be...with Jason having dark hair and eyes, and me having light hair and eyes, we could end up with all kinds of adorable combinations.

Then it was over to the MFM's office for my regular appointment. Everything is still stable - cervix good, BP good, weight good, not too puffy yet. I'm only a few pounds away from my weight gain goal of 60 pounds. I never thought I would be trying to gain so much weight!

I have another NST scheduled for Friday, and then MFM appointment next Tuesday. We're just taking it day by day and week by week. They won't even talk about scheduling a c-section until I hit 34 weeks. So until then I'll keep eating and napping and trying to figure out how to roll over in bed without getting out of breath. :)

Good NST appointment

Another quick update. Today's NST went very smoothly. The babies were all very cooperative in staying on their heart rate monitors - they were probably sleeping or something. As always, it was wonderful to hear the heartbeats and get some reassurance that they are ok. I forgot the camera again, so no belly picture. So, now we just wait for Tuesday's appointment that will include the growth ultrasound. Until then, I'm taking it easy! I'm definitely getting more uncomfortable by the minute, although some days are better than others. Today is a better day, since I'm actually able to sit up and type a bit!

Resources

I'm using this post to start a list of resources that we've been consulting regarding being pregnant with and raising multiples. As we find more information related to premature babies we will also add it. We're providing this info for anyone who is curious about how we will be caring for the babies and the risks they may be facing. People who are planning to help us out with the babies might really want to take a look at these resources (sorry, I supervise/teach for a living - I can't help assigning homework!) Happy reading! Oh - and if anyone has any other suggestions for resources about multiples and preemies, please feel free to share!

Books

When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy, by Dr. Barbara Luke

Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding & Caring for Twins or More! by Karen Gromada

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth

The Happiest Baby on the Block (DVD), by Dr. Harvey Karp

Websites

www.tripletconnection.org

http://preemies.about.com/od/preemiehealthproblems/a/healthproblems.htm

www.cdc.gov/rsv/

http://www.followingwren.com/2005/09/for-new-nicu-parents.html

http://rootbeertwins.blogspot.com/2009/07/discounts-and-freebies-for-multiples.html

31w6d doctor appointment

Quick update: all is still well! Everybody is holding steady - babies, me, and my cervix. I'm so excited to be 32 weeks tomorrow! This was really my first major goal and I'm so glad my body and the babies have cooperated thus far. The doctor wants to shoot for at least 34 weeks, so that's our next goal. He said if labor started between now and then they would at least try to stop it so I could keep the babies in a little longer. But of course it all depends on the particular circumstances. I will try my best to behave on bedrest and will ask the babies to do the same.

I had an NST (non-stress test) today to monitor the babies' heartrates. It involves strapping on a heartrate monitor for each baby, plus a contraction monitor for me. I really want to get a picture of this someday so you can see my belly criss-crossed with pink and blue straps. Babies A & B were pretty cooperative, but C was a troublemaker and kept moving around and falling off the monitor. Still, she looked good enough that they said we passed the test. And no contractions during the test either, which was good. Seems like the medicine is working.

Next NST is this Friday, and then next Tuesday we finally get another growth ultrasound so we can see how big the babies are now. I can't wait!

Now if only I can manage the discomfort for just a few more weeks...